Chicago Ilinois, USA Noelle Higgins & Betsy Severtsen

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1 Chicago Ilinois, USA Noelle Higgins & Betsy Severtsen City in a Garden - City motto Millenium Park, opened in 2004 URSCorp. URS_Division/projectsDetail. Ogden Park Chicago, index.cfm/fuseaction/custom. Chicago is a magnificent city famed for its thriving arts, friendly people, celebrated architecture and tasty deep-dish pizza. World-renowned open space may soon top this list of famous components of the city. While many American cities have completed open space plans, Chicago is exceptional because the proposed open space components have been largely implemented. In spite of several cycles of open space deterioration in the past, the city s green space has once again been turned around through innovative and effective strategies organized under the strong, focused agenda of nature in the city. CHICAGO I PAGE 1

2 Loving Chicago is like loving a woman with a broken nose -Nelson Algren City Statistics City Population: 2.8 million City Area:145, 408 acres Density Level:19.3 people/ acre Park Acreage: 7000acres Park acreage per 1000 residents: Context Chicago has a rich history in terms of open space. In 1893 the Columbian Exposition was held in the city. Frederick Law Olsted and Daniel Burnham were the key players in the design of the white city, which contributed greatly to the City Beautiful Movement. The fi rst comprehensive open space plan was published in 1909 by Burnham. The fi rst suggested greenbelt for the city was proposed by Jens Jensen during his tenure as chief landscape architect for the city in In the 1960s community groups within the city began reclaiming vacant lands for use as community gardens. In 1993 Mayor Richard M. Daley targeted the Chicago Parks District for a complete overhaul. Through initiatives and reforms of existing entities, the mayor strived to fully address the many different dimensions of greenspace that are needed to have a holistically green city. Governing bodies:chicago Parks District & Mayor Richard M. Daley Expenditure per person:$108 Source: Harnik, 1997 Park Map System, Chicago. Source:Harrnik, 1997 Above Image Sources: k12.ny.us/marynet/studentresources/lsintranet/centralpark/htm/history.htm, Diagram of Chicago Park System 552 Parks on 7000 acres PAGE 2 CHICAGO

3 Major Components The White City source edu/chicagohistory City name tag line (arial 18pt) a. Anchors - Grant Park, Gold Coast and Shoreline Parks - Recreational areas (31 beaches, 5000 marina slips, trails within Washington Park, Lincoln Park Zoo (with bike path), Navy Pier. b. Civic, downtown and social spaces - Grant Park, Soildiers Field c. Connective corridors- -Lakefront Parks, Boulevard between Washington & Jackson Park, Chicago River trail. d. Neighborhood Park -West of Lakefront, smaller and much less connected Park map system, Chicago.Modifi ed from Harnik, 1997 CHICAGO I PAGE 3

4 Funding Mechanism for Chicago Park District Chicago has the largest open space operating budget in the nation, in 1997 it was nearly $307 million. The Chicago Park District is a fully freestanding entity, chartered by the state with authority to levy its own taxes. While the mayor appoints the Park District s board, it out of all other government agencies is least subject to political variances and fi scal uncertainty than any other U.S. park agency. 70% of the Park District s operating budget came from business and residential property tax, the remaining 30% comes from fees and contributions. Above image source: Bottom Image source: Issues and/or Initiatives The mayor is striving towards nature in the city as a policy for the future. This agenda has many different initiatives working towards this goal. Zoning changes include the modifi cation of exisiting zoning designations and the creation of new zoning types including: parks and open space districts, pedestrian streets, mixed use and a new category that will encourage residential density near mass transit stops. The Chicago Standard is a new set of green design, construction and renovation standards for all public buildings. The goal of this initiative is to provide healthier indoor environments, reduce operating costs and conserve resources for all municipal buildings. One of the major green building techniques being utilized is green roofs. The city established the Brownfi elds Initiative to purchase, remediate and redevelop under-utilized industrial sites. The Campus Park Program addresses the shortage of parkland in Chicago neighborhoods by targeting public school grounds for parkland improvement. The Chicago River Agenda has revitalized the city s Second Shoreline. Source: PAGE 4 CHICAGO

5 Lessons Learned Navy Pier, Chicago. Source: Currently, the city is in a restorative phase in terms of parks and open space. But in the past it has had cycles of deterioration and restoration. There is a strong commitment now to sound environmental design and stewardship of public space. This seems to have proven the mayor s theory that civic pride is helped by stewardship. Improving the quality of life of people in the city has attracted new residents and employers (like Boeing). Many other cities have published green space plans, Chicago s success stems from its action in implementing the plans. City name tag line (arial 18pt) As schools lost their effectiveness as community anchors, the same thing happened to parks, libraries and other public spaces. People stopped using them, and the City stopped taking care of them. Or maybe people stopped using them because the City stopped taking care of them. - Mayor Daley For the open space system s longevity, proper budgeting and implementation of maintenance is an essential step. NeighborSpace Since the 1960s, community groups across Chicago have used vacant or untended lots as opportunities to create green open spaces in their neighborhoods. These sites become important community assets that provide residents with opportunities to socialize with each other, plant and grow food, or simply be outside. In the mid-1990 s studies showed that Chicago ranked 18th out of 20 cities of comparable size in the ration of open space acres to population. In 1996 Neignborspace was created as a non-profi t organisation, to help preserve small community developed gardens. Neighborspace is a community based non profi t that was part of the comprehensive response by city leadership, to the need to support valuable commnity gardens sites in the city and help protect them form development. Its mission is also to help to expand green space in the city. photo, group of photos or diagrams Source: NeighborSpace logo source: CHICAGO I PAGE 5

6 It helps to have a crisis Forrest Claypool Stewardship in Chicago -Jens Jenson( ) In 1903, Jensen created a map entitled Proposed System of Forest Parks and Country Pleasure Roads. He incorporated this concept into the Special Park Commission s report, published the following year. The report identifi ed signifi cant natural areas. It also recommended the creation of a belt of natural lands at the perimeter of Chicago. They suggested a new system of boulevards that would link the nature reserves with the city s existing park and boulevard system. source: org/history.htm Henry Ford Estate designed byjenson source: Resources Harnik, Peter, Inside City Parks, Urban Land Institute, 1997, Washington, City of Chicago, Brownfi elds Forum: Final Report and Action Plan, November PAGE 6 CHICAGO